Saxophone Lessons
The saxophone has had a long history through many styles of music. Whatever your taste or skill level, our teachers will have something to offer you.
Saxophone can be heard from classical to salsa to funk to pop music. Whatever your style, we've got the teacher to help you reach the next step. Contact us if you're interested in Soprano, Alto, Tenor, or Baritone Sax lessons and we will place you with a teacher to match your needs!
Lessons on the saxophone will generally be centered around strong musical foundations like reading music, music theory, and present and clear tone. Students that are at a more advanced level will start to explore concepts like improvisation and ear training. Jazz is a very common pursuit for many sax players. For those interested, more advanced concepts of theory, improvisation, and transcription will commonly be included. But like other instruments, lessons can be geared towards the needs of each individual student!
New to saxophone lessons?
Many sax students come from a school band setting, in which case, you probably already have all the equipment you need. Those students just need to bring their saxophone and a notebook and paper to their first lesson. There are several different types of saxophone out there, although they are different sizes and tuning, the fingerings remain the same among all of them. If you’ve never played saxophone before and are looking to buy (or rent) from a local music shop, you have a few options:
Alto Saxophone
The alto saxophone is the most common type of saxophone for beginners because of it’s size and ease of playing. The alto sax is in the key of Eb which makes it a transposing instrument. The instrument has many parts that need to be carefully assembled but any started instrument should have all the necessary parts as well as a strap. You may need to purchase reeds separately.
Tenor Saxophone
Tenor sax is also very common but isn’t usually introduced until middle school or high school. The tenor is slightly larger than the alto and is in the key Bb, it is also a transposing instrument. The tenor’s range is lower in pitch than the alto. The tenor’s range makes it a favorable pick for students choosing to take part in jazz band.
Soprano Saxophone
The soprano sax is the smallest, lightest, and highest pitched saxophone that is commonly used. It is generally reserved for more advanced players as it can be very hard to play in tune. The Soprano is tuned to Bb like the Tenor which makes switching from Tenor to Soprano more straightforward. The hardest part about switching to the Soprano from any other saxophone is the embouchure. Because of it’s size, the instrument requires a much tighter embouchure in order to stay in tune and not squeak.
Baritone Saxophone
The bari sax is the largest of the commonly used saxophones (if you’re curious, the bass sax is enormous). It is larger and heavier than the Tenor so students usually don’t start playing bari until they are a little older. This sax is tuned to Eb, just like the Alto, so all of the fingerings create the same notes- this makes for a fairly easy transition from Alto to Bari. The Bari has a lower range than the Tenor and plays in a similar range to the trombone and bass trombone.
If you have any questions or need help deciding between saxes, please feel free to contact us.